How to Reduce Sugar in Cookies

Add less sugar than your recipe calls for.

Sugar adds flavor to cookies, contributes to the texture of the dough and helps your cookies brown properly. But sugar also increases the caloric value of your cookies, which can lead to weight gain. However, sugar can still be a part of your favorite cookie recipe and a healthy diet as long as you reduce it when possible and consume it in moderation. The American Heart Association recommends that women and men respectively get 100 and 150 calories or less every day from added sugar.

1

Reduce the amount of sugar you put into your cookies by 25 percent. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, use 3/4 cup instead. You can reduce the amount of sugar by even more, but your cookies might not brown as well.

3

Substitute some or all of your sugar with a sugar substitute. Add 2/3 cup of agave nectar for every 1 cup of granulated sugar and reduce the rest of the liquids in your recipe by 1/4 as well. Use 1/2 cup of half sugar/half sucralose blend or use 24 packets of Stevia or saccharin for every 1 cup of sugar in your favorite cookie recipe. You may also use 1 cup of granulated Splenda for every cup of sugar.

4

Replace up to 1/4 of the sugar in your cookie recipe with powdered milk to add a boost of nutrition and sweetness. For instance, use 1/4 cup powdered milk and 3/4 cup sugar when your cookie recipe requires 1 cup of sugar.

Things You Will Need

Measuring cups

Spices or extracts

Agave nectar, sucralose, Stevia or saccharin

Powdered milk

Tip

You can use equal portions of molasses, honey or fruit juice as a sugar substitute in your cookies. However, these ingredients contain just as many -- or sometimes a bit more -- calories than regular sugar.

About the Author

Rose Erickson has been a professional writer since 2010. She specializes in fitness, parenting, beauty, health, nutrition and saving money, and writes for several online publications including The Krazy Coupon Lady. She is also a novelist and a mother of three.